William Easum and Bil Cornelius, Go Big: Lead Your Church to Explosive Growth. Abingdon, 2006.
Referenced in: Church Leadership – Size Dynamics and Transitions
LifeandLeadership Summary
Anything written by Bill Easum will be unabashedly oriented toward growth and evangelism, and will show little patience with established-church mentalities that inhibit growth. So one should expect in this book a very hard-hitting, no nonsense approach to what it takes to break the barriers of 200, 500, 900, then 1,500 and beyond. To get a sense of the tone of the book, read this clip from p. 68:
“‘Pastor, before we go after any more people, shouldn’t we take better care of those we have?’
“Pastor, all you seem to care about is the unchurched. Don’t you care about us anymore?”
These questions must have been conceived in hell because they betray a basic misunderstanding of what it means to be the people of God and the body of Christ. Everything in the Scriptures suggests that the church was put here to reach people who are not yet Christians – the church was to be salt, light, and leaven to the world.
In addition, Easum and Cornelius’ suggestions are highly pragmatic. For example, Easum believes that in order for a pastor to free up more time for strategic pursuits like adding a service or staff member or advertising or getting out among the public, he will probably have to give up sermon preparation time and preach another preacher’s sermon series. He recommends telling the congregation and giving credit at the bottom of the message outlines.
The tone and pragmatism aside, if you share the authors’ assumptions about church growth and strong pastor-led arrangements, there is not a more on-target list of prescriptions on how to achieve those ends. Do not expect sensitive, slow-paced, overly scrupulous, and keep-your-job conscious methodologies. On the other hand, do not deprive yourself of the kick in the seat of the pants this volume can provide.
From the Publisher
Both Bill Easum and Bil Cornelius have experienced substantial, even explosive, growth in congregational mission and membership. Along the way they learned some important lessons, such as the centrality of strong pastoral leadership, the need for an unhesitant pursuit of excellence in all areas of the church’s ministry, and the requirement that you picture an audacious vision for your church and live into that vision. Go Big helps you realize these expectations for your church.
About the Author
Bill Easum is President and Senior Managing Partner in Easum, Bandy & Associates, Inc., a church consulting and nurturing firm. One of the most widely sought advisors on congregational health and vitality in North America, he has over 30 years of congregational experience, with approximately 25 years’ experience as pastor.
Bill Cornelius is the founding pastor of Bay Area Fellowship, a church reaching the next generation, growing from five people to over 4,000 in seven years. Bay Area Fellowship has been listed in Outreach Magazine’s 100 Fastest Growing Churches in America.
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